(The Center Square) – Ohio Sens. Sherrod Brown and J.D. Vance are using the National Transportation and Safety Board’s findings on East Palestine’s train derailment to continue their push for national rail standards.
At a public hearing earlier this week in East Palestine, Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy called Norfolk Southern’s attempts to sway the investigation unprecedented and reprehensible.
She reiterated the board’s finding that the eventual vent and burn following the crash was unnecessary, and the report said the Feb. 3, 2023, crash could have been avoided.
It blamed the crash that forced the evacuation of more than 2,000 residents on the wheel bearing of rail car 23, which caught fire, causing the axle to fall off and derail the train.
The final report confirmed initial findings released in February and previously reported by The Center Square.
“The findings shared by NTSB Chair Homendy today confirm many of my worst fears,” Vance said. “The derailment and subsequent chemical explosion were preventable tragedies resulting from a series of errors made by Norfolk Southern and its contractors.”
Brown said the report showcases the need for safety regulations and holding companies accountable.
“Today, the NTSB made crystal clear what we have been saying for over a year – stronger rail safety regulations are needed immediately,” Brown said. “Congress needs to pass the Railway Safety Act to enact stronger safety rules and hold the big railroad companies accountable. This report shows that Norfolk Southern’s greed and neglect for public safety is the reason this derailment happened, and the people of East Palestine have suffered the consequences.”
Vance also called the U.S. Department of Justice’s recent $310 million settlement with Norfolk Southern premature and the need for railway safety legislation immediate.
“The NTSB findings also call the Biden Department of Justice’s premature settlement into serious question,” he said. “Had they waited for these findings to be revealed, they could have secured more for the people of East Palestine. Finally, these findings underscore the need for Congress to pass the Railway Safety Act, which would go a long way to improve our rail safety standards and prevent future disasters like what happened in East Palestine.”
A court-appointed settlement administrator is continuing to receive claims from people and businesses who are part of a separate $600 million settlement between community members and Norfolk Southern, court-appointed class counsel Seth A. Katz, M. Elizabeth Graham and Jayne Conroy told The Center Square in an email.
Attorneys wrote, “The NTSB Board Meeting merely confirmed, and made public, what we have known and uncovered as a result of our investigation and efforts during the discovery conducted since the tragedy in February 2023. While the NTSB has its role, which it made clear was not to determine fault for use in litigation, its findings do not change or alter the strengths or weaknesses in the case that resulted in the $600 million settlement designed to help the residents and business of East Palestine as well as the surrounding communities.”
